Lovefool
by Nautical Paramour
Summary: A Valentine's themed short story. Marcus and Hermione form a connection in the library at Hogwarts, and come together at a Ministry function. Now, three years later, things have changed for both of them. Marcus tries to win Hermione's heart, but things keep going horribly, horribly wrong. Marcus/Hermione. EWE. COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

A/N: This story is completely written, and I will be posting one chapter a day through Valentine's Day. Each chapter is approximately 1k words. The title comes from the song Lovefool by the Cardigans. You can follow me on tumblr: **nauticalparamour**.

Please let me know what you think and be on the lookout for the chapter two tomorrow!

* * *

She had heard about him being at Hogwarts long before she'd seen him. Of course, everyone paid attention when a professional Quidditch player came to Hogwarts, especially two years after he had graduated. What no one knew was why Marcus Flint of all people was here.

The first time she saw him, she was sitting at her usual table in the library, busy studying for her O.W.L.s, when she noticed him staring at her. The way that the bookshelves were set up allowed for a narrow viewing window between their tables. Annoyed, she ignored him and continued to study, determined to get lost in her Potions work and forget about him.

But then he'd been there the next day, and the day after that, and the day after that. Finally, on Friday, she was sure that he wouldn't be there because he'd likely be in Hogsmeade village. But, to her annoyance, he was still there and _still staring._

Not willing to sit by any more, Hermione stood up and walked between the tables until she reached his table. "What is it with big, stupid Quidditch players staring at me while I am in the library?" She asked him, her hands on her hips.

He looked up at her, almost surprised that she was talking to him. Hermione took a moment to take in his face. He had thick dark hair that was short on the sides and long, but coiffed on the top. His dark eyes seemed to hint at something Hermione didn't understand. He'd gotten his teeth fixed, but he still wasn't the most attractive man. "I'm nothing like Krum." He finally told her.

Hermione felt a bit of warmth in her chest that he'd somehow been aware of her the year before. "What are you doing here?" She asked.

"Studying." He told her, with a low voice, his eyes never once dipping lower than her face.

"Obviously." Hermione said with a roll of her eyes. "I meant at Hogwarts. Shouldn't you be off training with the Montrose Magpies or whoever you play for?"

Marcus looked at her with a smirk. "Correct on the first guess. Or have you been keeping up with me, Granger?" When her cheeks reddened, his grin grew wider. "I had a season ending injury, came back to retake my N.E.W.T.s."

"Third times the charm?" Hermione asked, snidely. She knew it was rude, but he was just a Slytherin.

Marcus just shrugged, and an uncomfortable silence settled between them. Suddenly aware that she was alone in the library, staring at Marcus Flint, Hermione cleared her throat. "Well, just keep your eyes on your paper from now on."

Marcus seemed reluctant to see her go. "Actually Granger, I don't understand this concept. Maybe you could...help?"

He was reading from a Transfiguration book, she noted with decidedly more interest than she was expecting. She couldn't believe that Marcus Flint of all people had asked her for help. Hermione bit her lip. "I don't know..." She had a lot of her own studying to get through.

"Oh, I guess this is pretty advanced...a fifth year like you couldn't possibly help me." Marcus goaded her, knowing that she loved to be a know it all.

Even though she knew he was baiting her, she couldn't stop herself from sighing, and pulling up a chair next to him. "I suppose I could try to help you." She tried to make it sound like she was exasperated, but she wasn't fooling either of them.

And thus began their unusual friendship.

* * *

Over the next few weeks, Marcus asked Hermione for help on his studies more often than not. It happened so frequently, that Hermione just started to bring her own work over to his table. If anyone saw them, no one had said anything about it to Harry and Ron, who remained blissfully unaware of her new friendship.

Hermione liked sitting with Marcus. He was much more serious than she would have expected, and he seemed to be taking his studies just as seriously. He wasn't very bright, but with Hermione's help, he was quickly grasping the core principles of each subject he was taking. Marcus revealed to her that he'd already gotten passing grades in Care of Magical Creatures and Herbology, from the last time he took his N.E.W.T.s. This time around, he was focusing on Transfiguration, Charms and Potions.

Once she got to know him better, Hermione pondered why he was retaking them at all. So she asked him one day, as they sat in the dying light of the day. "Marcus, why are you retaking your N.E.W.T.s?" He looked a bit wounded to be asked that question, so Hermione gave more explanation. "I mean, surely you're making plenty of money playing Quidditch. You aren't planning on retiring, are you?"

Marcus shook his head. "No, I love Quidditch too much to ever give it up." He told her, before deciding to lay his cards on the table. "I guess I just wanted to…to prove to my family, the wizarding world…to prove to myself that I could do it. That I am not just a troll."

Hermione instantly felt guilty. Of course, she'd always giggled at the jokes that Marcus Flint had some troll blood in him. Now, she saw how hard he was trying, all she wanted was for him to succeed. "I don't think you're a troll, Marcus. For what it's worth." She told him sincerely.

Marcus gave her a broad smile, and they both returned to their work.

* * *

Marcus knew it was wrong, this little crush he'd developed on Hermione Granger. After all, she was only sixteen, and he was nearing twenty. Not to mention, his parents would go ballistic if they knew. But he couldn't help it.

With her messy curls and little freckles on her cheeks, Hermione was a bright spot in his otherwise dull days during his time at Hogwarts. She took time to explain things to him in easy ways he could understand, and he found things to be much simpler this time around.

Sometimes, he caught himself staring into her bright brown eyes or letting his eyes drop to her dainty pink mouth…

When he finally finished retaking his N.E.W.T.s, he was ready to leave Hogwarts and never see Hermione Granger again, to rip this crush up by the roots, but he couldn't resist seeing her one more time. So he found himself striding to the table that they always shared in the library.

Predictably, she was there, and she rewarded him with a bright smile and asked him how he did on his exams. He told her he was confident, and thanked her for her assistance. And then, before he could give it a second thought, he bent down and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

If it was unwelcome, she didn't say. Instead, a rosy blush bloomed on her cheeks and she smiled shyly at him. "Well, see you around I suppose." She told him finally, when he made to leave.

They both knew it wasn't likely.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

A/N: Here is chapter two - please let me know what you thought and be on the lookout for chapter three tomorrow!

* * *

 **December 31st, 1998**

Hermione didn't see Marcus Flint again until well after the war was over. It was at the Ministry of Magic's New Years Eve party. It was the first event that the wizarding world had thrown since the final battle and everyone was ready for some revelry.

Things had certainly changed for the so called "Golden Trio." Hermione and Harry detested the fame and recognition, but Ron lapped it all up like a starving man. He gave interviews, dated a revolving door of witches, and spent tons of money. It drove a wedge through the friendship, and consequently Harry and Ginny's relationship, and the relationship of Harry and Hermione with all of the Weasleys.

Hermione was really not looking forward to facing the guy that had snogged the breath from her in the Chamber of Secrets and then dumped her for none other than Parvati Patil the very same day. She still remembered the smug look he had when he walked down from Gryffindor Tower the next day, with his arm around Parvati's shoulder.

Still, she dutifully dressed up in a short gold dress and tall black heels for the party, determined to have a good time, even if that meant ducking from Ron the whole night. She wasn't expecting to run into an old...friend?

She was slowly walking behind a pillar, champagne glass in one hand, her eye on Ron's position. He'd been trying to track her down, but she was determined to get away, not wanting to admit that she'd shown up alone. When she wasn't looking behind her, she was surprised to bump right into someone, completely spilling her glass of champagne on herself.

Muttering softly to herself, she set about charming the spill away. Hearing a masculine chuckle behind her, Hermione turned around scowling, only to have her foul mood drop when she came face to face with none other than Marcus Flint. "Alright there Granger?" His dark eyes were sparkling with what Hermione could now identify as lust.

"Marcus!" Hermione threw her arms around his wide body, and then felt a little bit silly to address him so informally. It wasn't as though they had kept in touch through the years and so many things had changed. Releasing him from her hold, and awkwardly clearing her throat, Hermione asked, "So I realize I never asked how you did on your N.E.W.T.s?"

"I passed them all." Marcus said with a proud tone in his voice. "Even got an E in Charms. But then again, you were a better professor than Flitwick. Much more intriguing to look at." Hermione blushed at his words, but congratulated him anyways. "Well, you are missing a drink. Shall we go get you a new one?"

Hermione nodded mutely, letting him lead her from the periphery to the bar, past everyone she was trying to avoid. Even Ron took one look at the pair and began sputtering and walked away. It was...refreshing.

They danced throughout the night, drinking more than their fair share of champagne, laughing and catching up to a rapport that they had once shared before in the library at Hogwarts. Marcus didn't treat her any differently than he had before, unlike everyone else who was always fawning over her. He was respectful, but didn't let her take herself too seriously.

When the clock struck midnight, they found themselves staring hesitantly at one another, Hermione remembering his kiss to her cheek all those years ago. Finally, with a breath to fortify himself, Marcus found himself bending over, pulling her body close to his, and planting his lips directly on hers.

He couldn't hear her moan over the roar of the crowds, but he could feel it with her pressed so intimately against him. Soon, she was spreading her lips eagerly, thrusting her tongue into his mouth to tangle with his own, igniting a sexual spark like none he'd ever experienced.

Pushing down on her shoulders to break them apart, Marcus looked at Hermione with her bruised lips and heaving breaths and took a chance on himself. He whispered into her ear, "Hey, do you want to get out of here?" He hoped that he hadn't horribly miscalculated the situation, but she made him feel something he'd never felt before.

Hermione stiffened against him before nodding vigorously, and Marcus lead her by the hand to the Floos the ministry had set up. Within seconds they were standing in his rather spartan apartment, and he felt embarrassed for the first time. He was sure other Quidditch players lived in luxury, but he found it suited him.

When he was turning around to offer her a drink, Hermione closed the two steps between them before pulling him down for another kiss. This time he was sure that he heard her moaning, and it was sweet and addictive. He pulled her down the hallway, frantically kissing her and helping her to undo the buttons to his shirt, and reaching behind her to unzip her dress.

They fell into his unmade bed, naked and aroused, and Marcus decided that he might like her there forever. "Are you sure, Hermione?" He asked her, dropping a kiss to her pert little nose, desperately praying to himself that she wouldn't turn him down.

"Yes." Hermione said, with a bite to her lower lip. "Just be gentle."

And he was gentle, taking the time to worship her body with kisses and caresses, before finally entering her when she was wet and ready. They moved together, each seeking a higher level of pleasure. When she came, his finger rubbing her clit in tiny circles, she clenched around him so tightly that Marcus found he was unable to not follow over the edge, enjoying their combined sounds mingling in the still air.

When he rolled over so as not to crush her, he pulled her to his body and held on tightly, not wanting to let her go. They let sleep descend on them, snuggling closely together, each eager with the promise of whatever this relationship would be.

But when Hermione woke up the next morning, she felt incredibly stupid. Sure, she and Marcus had some sexual tension, that was undeniable. But to just go and have sex with someone she barely knew? Plus, Marcus probably did this sort of thing with all kinds of Quidditch groupies. It wasn't as if it meant anything to him, she told herself.

So she pulled herself from his grasp, replacing her body with a pillow, trying to ignore the ache that settled in her chest when he pulled it closer to him in his sleep. She found her clothes, quickly redressing as quietly as possible. She picked up her shoes and tiptoed down the hallway to where the floo was located.

Before she left the apartment, her throat tight and difficult to swallow, she whispered to herself. "Well, I guess I will see you around."


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

A/N: Did you think Hermione would end up pregnant? When I originally conceived (hehe) of this idea, she had, but I ended up nixing it.

Here is chapter three - I would love to hear what you think! Lookout for chapter four tomorrow!

* * *

 **December 23rd, 2001**

Three years had passed before Hermione saw Marcus again. After further fallout with the Weasleys, Hermione threw herself into her career as a Potions Mistress, focusing on using Muggle genetics to improve health outcomes. One of her potions had decreased deaths from Dragon Pox by eighty percent. Currently, she was working on improving birth rates within the magical community.

Her preliminary research indicated that there was a lack of genetic diversity, causing an increase in miscarriages. She wrote frequently for various Potions journals, and found that she was well respected in the medical community, although every now and again she got some flack from the stuffy old purebloods that couldn't leave the war in the past.

She rarely dated, instead choosing to stay in most nights, although occasionally she would join her friends for nights out at the pub. For some reason, she couldn't shake the memories of Marcus Flint. To her immense embarrassment, he still featured in the majority of her fantasies. She knew that she should give it up, because he never tried to contact her after their one night together, and she felt silly hanging on when he clearly wasn't interested in her.

Harry, who had initially planned to be an auror, found himself overwhelmed by the training, wanting to live a normal life for once, instead of fighting all the time. He decided to leave the dark wizard catching to others for a while. Instead, he took a job as a seeker coach for the Appleby Arrows. With his help, they'd climbed from mid-table in the league to the top five.

Hermione was so proud of what her friend was able to accomplish, and how happy he was, but they remained firmly friends. So maybe that was why she agreed to attend the Arrows annual Christmas party as Harry's date. "Please, Hermione? Management has insisted that we all bring dates, and I don't want to ask someone else and give them the wrong idea." Hermione knew how that went; once she'd borrowed attended a luncheon with a coworker at a conference, and he hadn't stopped asking her for drinks despite all of her hints that she just wasn't interested.

She could never say no to Harry's bright green eyes, though. So, she'd dolled herself up in a short, green cocktail dress, put on makeup, and even applied liberal amounts of Sleek-Eazy potion to her hair to make it fall around her shoulders in voluminous waves. Even though she had Harry were just friends, she wanted to look good enough for Harry to be proud to have her on his arm.

Hermione and Harry got to the party fashionably late, and spent the first half hour talking with the manager and his wife. Before long, though, dinner was called, and Hermione found herself staring across the table from Marcus Flint.

Looking over at his unchanged features - still ruggedly handsome, in an odd sort of way, with thick, broad shoulders and dark eyes, eyes that had once memorized her naked form - Hermione felt all of her breath leave her, as they made eye contact.

Marcus looked even more surprised to see her. Hermione bit her lip though, at seeing his date, a gorgeous blonde with a perfect body - _of course -_ Hermione felt rather inadequate. Of course that was the kind of girl that Marcus prefered, nothing like bookish, little Hermione Granger.

Still, with Harry distracted by the chaser that was sitting on the other side of him, Hermione felt compelled to make conversation with Marcus. "I didn't know that you played for Appleby, Marcus." She offered with a smile.

Marcus seemed surprised that she was actually talking to him. "I got traded over the summer transfer window." He told her, a bit curtly. Marcus, recognizing how clipped his tone was, suddenly winced. "So, are you and Potter an item then?" He hoped his question didn't seem to forward.

Hermione shook her head with a laugh. "No, Harry and I are just friends. We've been through way too much to ever be together that way." She told him, remembering all the time that she and Harry had spent together in the tent.

She thought she saw a hint of relief flash over his face, before shaking her head. Why would he care who she was dating? Marcus looked at through his eyelashes, before speaking again. "Well, save a dance for me, then, Hermione. After dinner?" Hermione agreed, albeit a bit hesitantly.

Harry then got her attention, by grabbing onto her knee. "I didn't know you knew Marcus." He said quietly.

Hermione shrugged her shoulders. "Not well, of course, but we are casual acquaintances." She reassured Harry. Cringing, she thought that even acquaintances seemed simultaneously too strong and not strong enough to classify the relationship that she and Marcus shared.

After dinner, Marcus made good on his request and asked her to dance. Hermione gladly took his hand and allowed him to pull her body tightly against his. How she missed feeling the hardness of his body pressed against her, his large hand resting on the small of her back.

The intimacy of the dance had Hermione longing for what they had before and gave her hope of what might happen now that they had reconnected. But, in what seemed like a blink of an eye, their dance was over, and Hermione dutifully returned to Harry's arms to dance the rest of the night away, unable to shake the memory of Marcus's arms from her mind.

Just when she thought about approaching him again, she spied him across the dance floor, dancing with his date. Watching the seemingly perfect woman rub herself provocatively against Marcus had Hermione's heart breaking all over again. Unable to tear her eyes away from them, she felt hot tears form in her eyes.

Harry returned from the bar with a pair of cocktails with them, only to notice Hermione seemingly very upset for an reason unbeknownst to him. "Hermione, love, what's wrong?"

Hermione sniffled a little bit before turning to her oldest friend. "Oh, it's nothing Harry, I am just being silly. But, I think I might like to go home now. I feel like I've already embarrassed myself." She said, a pretty blush staining her cheeks.

"Sure, we can leave." Harry conceded, before adding a caveat. "But only if we have some drinks back at yours and you tell me what all this is about."

Hermione smiled before wiping a stray tear that had escaped her eye. "Of course, Harry."


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

A/N: Here it is - chapter four! Please let me know what you think and be on the lookout for chapter five tomorrow.

* * *

 **December 23rd, 2001**

It didn't take Harry long to gather their coats to leave the Arrows' Christmas party, and before Hermione knew it, he was grasping her hand to apparate her back to her flat. Hermione lived in somewhat of a posh area in wizarding London, not far from Grimmauld Place. Being back in the comfort of her own home had Hermione already relaxing.

Harry peeled her coat off of her, and walking her over to the couch, getting her to sit down. Then he was off, hanging up their coats in the front closet. "So, what's your poison tonight Hermione?" He asked, walking over to the small bar cart to make them drinks.

Hermione thought about it for a moment before settling on a vodka soda. After the clinking of glasses, Harry was walking back to the couch, handing Hermione her drink in one of her heavy tumblers, while he was holding his own filled with firewhiskey. "Sorry, you know I can't resist the vintage Ogden's you have." Harry said with a smile that wasn't guilty at all.

Hermione just smiled, aiming her wand at the fireplace that dominated her living room, and soon, cheerful embers were burning brightly, filling the room with a pleasant crackle and pop of the flames.

Harry took a few sips of his drink before directing the conversation to its purpose. "So, are you going to tell me what had you so upset back at the party?"

Hermione bit her lip, feeling so silly for getting so upset that she'd had to leave the party. She didn't know why her heart at filled with so much hope over seeing Marcus Flint. "Oh, Harry, you are going to think it's so silly." She told him, still resistant to opening up to her best friend. If there was anyone that would understand it would be Harry.

Harry looked at her face, reading all of her hesitation, before further nudging her. "Does this have anything to do with Marcus Flint?" He asked shrewdly. Hermione's immediate blush answered the question for him. "See, I am not as obtuse as you think."

She finally nodded. "Yes, it does have to do with Marcus." She admitted, still unwilling to reveal the depths of her feelings for the burly chaser. "I don't know where to begin."

"Why don't you start at the beginning? How do you know him? I mean, more than just in passing." Harry offered.

"Well, do you remember in fifth year when he returned to school to retake some of his N.E.W.T.s?" Seeing Harry's nod, Hermione continued. "He was always staring at me in the library when I was studying, so eventually, I confronted him. I ended up helping him study a bit and we spent a few weeks, forming a friendship, I guess."

It was Harry's turn to be embarrassed. "I can't believe I didn't know. I guess it shows how much I studied for my O.W.L.s."

"On his last day at Hogwarts, he gave me a kiss, just on the cheek. I didn't expect to see him around again after that." Hermione admitted, remembering the feeling of his lips against her skin. "Anyway, we met up again at the New Year's Eve party after the war. I was hiding from Ron and literally bumped into him."

Harry nodded. "I remember that actually. I remember you dancing with Flint then." Harry's face screwed up in concentration as he tried to remember the night more clearly. "Did you go home with Flint?" He asked, surprised.

Hermione blushed again. "Yes, I went home with him. And I ended up, you know, losing my virginity to him." She said, trying to sound casual.

"You did _what?_ " Harry groused at her. This didn't sound like the normal, in control Hermione Granger that he was used to. "Well, what happened?"

"I mean, I didn't plan on it, but we had some sexual tension. Anyway, in the morning I just felt so stupid, knowing that you know, I am not his type, and he probably has all kinds of groupies following him around. Like his date tonight." Hermione said, trying not to let her self-consciousness slip into her voice. "So I just left in the morning, before he woke up."

"Well what happened tonight? The pair of you seemed to be having a great time on the dance floor." Harry countered, not wanting to linger on his friend's sex life for too long, but still curious to learn how the relationship went.

"I don't know." Hermione told him, a hint of desperation in her voice. "I just...we did seem to hit things off again, and I got some tiny little hope that, I don't know, he might still like me." Hermione took a big gulp of her drink. "But of course he doesn't. He never tried to contact me after the night we had together. Plus, why would he when he had such a beautiful date?"

"Maybe because she is dumb as rocks?" Harry pointed out. "Though, I suppose Marcus isn't really known as the intellectual type." He resisted a smirk, knowing that Hermione didn't like to belittle others.

Hermione nodded. She figured that Marcus was probably a simple man with simple needs, and dating Hermione Granger was never going to be one of them. "I just got a little overwhelmed. I am sorry that I made you leave early." She apologized, feeling utterly childish to run away from such a normal situation. Of course Marcus would dance with his date.

"Don't worry about it." Harry said. "I get kind of bored at those anyway. Say, Hermione, is Marcus the reason why you never date?" Harry often wondered why Hermione didn't try to go out with guys their age. After all, she was a bit of a catch. She was smart and pretty, she had a dry wit, and she always had his back.

Hermione scrunched her nose up, as if in distaste. "Don't be silly, Harry. I don't date because I am so busy with work. I wouldn't have time to keep up with a relationship. Marcus has nothing to do with it." She quickly took a drink, so as to disguise her blush. He was at least part of the reason why she didn't date anyone, but she wouldn't dare to admit it out loud.

"Good." Harry said, patting Hermione on the knee. "I think I will still have the chasers run extra drills on Monday, though."


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

A/N: Thank you all so much for the positive response! So glad you are enjoying, as it was quite fun to write. Here is chapter five, be on the lookout for six tomorrow!

* * *

 **January 4th, 2002**

Marcus had such a surprisingly good time seeing Hermione Granger again. It was so nice to hold her in his arms, enjoying the feel of how small she seemed compared to him. If he was honest with himself, he'd never really recovered from the time that they'd slept together. He'd been so upset to wake up and find his bed empty. He figured that he must have done something wrong, so he didn't reach out to her, deciding that she would come to him when she wanted to.

But the years had ticked by, and he never heard anything from her. So, he threw himself into Quidditch training, placing all league team year after year, and ignoring his mother's pleas to get married. Sure, thirty was only a few years off, but none of the Quidditch groupies that he dated were the type of girl he wanted to settle down with.

Instead, his mind would constantly wander back to one girl, Hermione. He subscribed to potion journals just to keep up with what she was working on. She was never in the gossip columns, preferring to stay out of the limelight, unlike the Weasleys, who seemed to be eternally on the front pages.

Merlin, he had been momentarily disappointed when he thought that Hermione was dating Potter. Not only was it poor form to try and take another wizard's witch, but Potter was on the coaching staff for the Arrows, and that was a line Marcus wasn't willing to cross. Still, he hadn't thought that he would have another chance with Hermione until he saw her at the party. Now he was determined to get another go.

Deciding that he was a little bit out of his league on wooing a witch like Granger, who wouldn't just fall at his feet from the sight of his paycheck, he decided to bring in reinforcements. He wrote an owl to his good friend Adrian Pucey, who despite being two years younger than Marcus, was the only person he could think to ask for advice on the subject. Adrian was a bit of a ladies man, and Marcus knew that he could explain his situation in confidence.

They met at Marcus's favorite pub for dinner later that week. After drinking two pints, Marcus felt much more inclined to tell Adrian everything. Hermione was something that he hadn't shared with anyone. She had been like a special little secret to him, but now he wanted to be seen in public with her on his arm.

"So, Marcus, what's on your mind?" Adrian asked him, after their food finally arrived.

Deciding to get straight to the point, Marcus looked his friend in the eye. "I need your help. I want to take Hermione Granger on a date." He wasn't embarrassed by the girl who had caught his attentions.

Adrian quickly masked his look of surprise. "What do you want with a smart girl like her? Surely the bits of fluff that you date suit your needs."

Leave it to Adrian to be swayed by a pair of tits, Marcus thought, rolling his eyes. "We have history." He told his friend quietly. He'd never told anyone about their time together at Hogwarts or at the Ministry party, mostly because he was disappointed that more hadn't happened between them.

"What kind of history?" Adrian asked, suddenly suspicious. He hadn't seen or really heard of Hermione Granger since Hogwarts.

"When I went back to retake some of my N.E.W.T.s, she helped me study. It just kind of happened. But it was nice. She didn't treat me like an idiot with troll brains, unlike everyone else at that bloody school." Marcus never really talked about how self conscious he was about his intelligence. "And then, after the war, after a ministry party, we slept together." He admitted quietly.

"What?" Adrian demanded, a grin plastered across his face. "How come you never told me that? What was she like?"

Marcus didn't particularly care to give Adrian details of the time he and Hermione had slept together, but at the same time, it felt good to get it off his chest. "It was pretty brilliant. Honestly, I haven't stopped thinking about it and it's been three years."

Adrian looked surprised, but accepted his words. "So then, what happened? Did you date? Break up?"

"No, she'd left by the time I woke up. I decided that she probably didn't want to see me, so I left her alone." Marcus said, hoping that didn't suggest anything about him as a lover. "But, then, I saw her the other day at the Arrow's Christmas Party, and I felt the spark again. Like maybe we have a chance together." It wasn't as though Marcus believed in soulmates, but being with Hermione Granger just felt _right_ to him.

"So you just want to fuck her again?" Adrian asked, confused.

"No, I want to bloody date her. I haven't stopped thinking about her. Hell, I read all of her potions papers, even though I don't understand it most of the time." Marcus cut his mini tirade short, a bit embarrassed to reveal that aspect of his pining. "Listen, I want her as my girlfriend. Now, can you help me get her back, or can't you?"

Adrian stared at his friend for a few moments, as if assessing the sincerity of his words. "Yes, I can help you. How have you been keeping all of this a secret from me for so many years?" Not expecting an answer, he continued. "First thing you have to do is ask her on a date. Send her an owl and set something up."

Marcus thought that was sensible. He was committed to making the first move now. "What kind of a date do you think she would like?"

"Well, all girls like being taken out to expensive dinners. Why don't you try taking her somewhere she hasn't been before? I heard there is a great new place that just opened in Paris."

Marcus thought that that seemed like a reasonable idea, a grand romantic gesture. That would show Hermione exactly how serious he was about having a relationship with her.

When he returned home from dinner that night, he sent Hermione an owl, asking if she would let him take her out for dinner on Saturday. He anxiously awaited her response, but it didn't come that night. Sighing, he went to bed wondering if he'd made an absolute fool of himself.

But then, the next morning, he woke up to an owl taping on his window, with Hermione's response. She agreed to the date, and had given him her floo address. He couldn't stop the broad smile from his face. Marcus Flint had a chance!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

A/N: So pleased you enjoyed Marcus's side of things! Here is chapter six, I would love to hear what you think! Be on the lookout for chapter seven tomorrow.

* * *

 **January 12th, 2002**

Hermione had been surprised, but not unhappy to receive Marcus's owl. Still, she decided to sleep on it, to decide if it was a good idea to go on a date with him. She woke up, still excited at the prospect, and eagerly wrote him back that she accepted.

Now that it was Saturday, though, she felt like it wasn't the best idea. She'd been running around all day, nervously primping, unsure of how the night was going to end. She promised herself that he wouldn't see her naked, that she would take things a bit slower this time. But still, she slipped on a little black dress and high heels, finally happy with her appearance.

Marcus said that he would be by at seven o'clock to pick her up, so she was waiting in her living room with a magazine by quarter to seven. But then, the minutes on her clock began to tick by. Before she knew it, it was already a quarter past seven. Hermione sat on the couch, huffing away, annoyed with herself that she thought Marcus might like her.

* * *

Marcus had been having the worst day. Because they didn't play a game that weekend, they'd had extra practices, and Potter had kept the chasers later, running stupid drills well after everyone else had showered and left.

Once practice was over, Marcus hurried to his house to get ready for his date with Hermione. Unfortunately, it was already quarter to seven when he hopped in the shower. He thought about sending her an owl, to let her know he would be late, but he figured that he would only be a few minutes.

By the time he was ready to go, he saw that it was seven fifteen. He decided to pick up some flowers for her, to apologize for his tardiness. He selected some pink roses that looked very nice from the corner shop, only to be run into by someone leaving the public floo. The flowers were crushed. Still, he was already late so he flooed through to her flat anyway.

When he arrived, he could tell that she was already annoyed, and holding the mangled looking roses didn't really give off the impression that he wanted to. He gave her a sheepish smile. "So sorry that I am late. I got you these, but someone ran into me."

Hermione frowned at him, but took the flowers anyway, smelling them. It was a nice thought, but it certainly didn't make up for being almost an hour late to pick her up. "Thank you, I will just put them in water." She told him, before grabbing a vase. She cast a spell and the once crushed flowers were back to their original form.

"Well, would you still like to go, to dinner, with me?" Marcus asked, a bit nervous because of how late he was. "I mean, I know it's a bit late and all, but I would still really enjoy it if you came with me." He wouldn't hold it against her if she didn't want to still go out that night, but it wouldn't stop him from asking her out again.

Hermione bit her lip, before deciding that she did still want to go to dinner with Marcus. After all, everyone was late every now and again. "Yes, that would be nice. I am starving." She admitted.

"Great!" Marcus told her, before pulling out a thin book from his pocket. "Here, grab on, it's a portkey." He offered the other half of the book to her, and she hesitated before grabbing onto it. Where on earth could he be taking her that he needed a _portkey_?

Her musings were answered when they appeared in the entrance vestibule of what seemed to be a very posh restaurant. "Where are we, Marcus?"

"It's a new restaurant that just opened." He told her with a grin, showing off his now straight teeth. "Just, that it's in Paris. One of my friends recommended it to me."

Hermione pursed her lips together. Well that was interesting. Still, she felt rather silly being whisked away to Paris for dinner. And just who was this friend? In her heart, Hermione knew it was probably some blonde woman who begged him to take her here. But, Hermione mused, she should be glad that Marcus had asked _her_ there, not someone else.

They were quickly escorted to their table and they ordered just as fast. While they waited for their meal to arrive, Marcus asked her about her work. It seemed to Hermione that he had a basic knowledge of what she did, but she was flattered none the less that he had taken an interest in it at all. The only problem was that the way he was framing his questions rubbed her the wrong way. He was still looking at things through such a pro-pureblooded lense. Didn't he know that he was on a date with a muggleborn? He even went so far as to question the efficacy of muggle genetics. They were only _muggles_ after all. How much could they know?

The final straw to what was shaping up to be a pretty lacklustre date came when Marcus was eating his entree. He had ordered mussels in a white wine sauce, and when he was trying to get a stubborn bit of mussel out of it's shell, he accidentally sent it flying across the table, one half of the shell hitting Hermione directly in the face.

When the waiter asked if they'd like a dessert, Hermione firmly declined, much to Marcus's disappointment. Still, she apparated them back to her flat, after he'd paid the bill, allowing him to floo from her fireplace. "I had an interesting time." She told him, unsure of how she felt about the date. Maybe they were too different to have something more after all.

"I know I really mucked up our first date." Marcus said, staring down at his shoes. Usually he didn't have to work so hard to keep a woman's attention. "Could I...could I kiss you goodnight? I think I can manage to get that right."

Hermione bit her lip, not knowing if that was really the best idea, but in the end she caved, wanting to see if they still had a spark. Marcus leaned down and pressed his lips against her own. He applied just the right amount of pressure, and it was honestly more than Hermione could hope for. It made her feel like she had electricity in her veins. When he ran his tongue along the seam of her lips, though, Hermione pulled back. She didn't want to get caught up in the physicality of this. She wanted to make sure they had an emotional, intellectual connection as well.

Marcus quickly masked the disappointment on his face, but understood that if he wanted to properly date Hermione, he would need to give it time. "I would really like to see you again." He admitted. "I'll owl you, alright? Goodnight Hermione."

Without waiting for her response, not wanting to give her a chance to shoot him down after such a catastrophic date, he stepped into her floo and returned home.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

A/N: Here is chapter seven! Please let me know what you think and be on the lookout for eight tomorrow!

* * *

 **January 19th, 2002**

Despite the lacklustre date that Marcus had taken Hermione on, she couldn't stop her mind from drifting to Marcus. That week, she'd even been caught daydreaming by her boss. She wasn't the kind of girl that really wanted to be whisked off to Paris, but she was touched by the thought, even though she thought that perhaps Marcus didn't really know her that well.

She'd been quite put out by how late he was, until she revealed that she'd gone on a date with Marcus to Harry. Her best friend, with a bright blush on his cheeks, admitted that he'd kept the chasers very late, running drills. Hermione couldn't stay mad at Harry, but she also found it a little bit heartwarming that Marcus didn't try to make excuses or blame his tardiness on Harry.

When his owl arrived midweek, asking her to go to a farmer's market on Saturday morning, she had been pleasantly surprised. That was much more her speed, and she was excited to see what kind of things a wizarding farmer's market had. It was still mid-January, so Hermione decided to dress warmly, wearing muggle jeans and a cashmere sweater, in gray.

Marcus arrived at her flat promptly at nine o'clock in the morning, when they had agreed to meet, looking well. He leaned in for the kiss on her cheek, which caused Hermione to blush and grin up at him. The spot on her cheek where his lips had fallen still tingled afterwards, and she had to resist reaching her hand up to touch it.

He apparated them to the entrance of the farmer's market, which was held indoors, inside of a building made entirely of clear glass. Unfortunately, it was very overcast outside, but Hermione was sure that it was lovely in the sunshine. Marcus lead her through the stalls of the market, tentatively reaching to grab her hand. He smiled to himself when she didn't resist at all, instead tightening her grasp around his hand.

Hermione thought that the market reminded her a lot of the Camden Street markets, which she tried to explain to Marcus. To her immense surprise, he seemed quite interested in the idea that muggles would have something similar. "Would you like me to take you to visit there sometime?" Hermione asked him, a hopeful smile on her face.

She was surprised when Marcus agreed heartily. Most wizards wouldn't be caught dead in the muggle world. Still, it seemed that he just really wanted to spend time with _her_ , and the location of it didn't matter at all.

After a while, Hermione's stomach started to grumble. "Did you not eat breakfast?" Marcus asked her, after laughing at a particularly loud rumble.

Hermione blushed and let him know that she hadn't gotten the chance to eat anything, though she wouldn't tell him it was because she was fussing over what to wear. He spied a little restaurant at the edge of the building and lead her over there. They decided to have a bit of a late brunch together.

When Hermione was tucking into her omelette, she asked how Marcus was finding Appleby, and if he enjoyed being on that team, or did he miss Montrose. "Honestly, I will probably always miss Montrose." He told her, being uncharacteristically open with her. "It was my first club, and I spent so many years there."

Hemione nodded in understanding. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to face former teammates. "When do you play Montrose next?" She asked, truly curious.

"Actually, we play them next week." He told her, with a smile on his face. "We play the Canons tomorrow." He stared at her face for a moment, before coming up with a great idea. "Hey! You should come to the game. I can get you really great box seats."

Hermione bit her lip. "I don't know...I am meant to watch Harry's godson, Teddy, that day."

Now that he'd had the idea, he wanted nothing more than for Hermione to come cheer him on. "Bring him with. I am sure that Potter won't mind. And, I will even get you a jersey to wear." Marcus could already imagine her wearing a jersey with his name on her back.

"Well, alright. I will just have to double check with Harry. But it might be fun." She said with a small smile. Marcus made her heart flutter, when he was so passionate about something. One might be mistaken and think that his eyes were flat, but they really sparkled when you got to know him.

Just as Marcus was about to thank her for agreeing, he was surprised to hear his mother's voice. "Marcus! What are _you_ doing here?" His mother marched right up to the table and looked down at Hermione. "And who is _this?_ "

"Mother, this is Hermione Granger." Marcus told his mother. "Hermione, this is my mother, Octavia Flint." Marcus was not ready for the question. He still needed Hermione to agree to be his girlfriend, he wasn't ready to meet each other's families yet!

"Pleased to meet you." Hermione said politely looking over the older woman. Octavia was much smaller than Hermione would have expected, given all the rumors that she was part troll. Her hair was elegantly coifed, and Hermione could just tell that Octavia didn't like her. Well, maybe she has the personality of a troll, Hermione thought snidely.

"I can't say the same." Octavia said with a sniff. "Just what are you doing here with my son?" She interrogated Hermione.

"We are here on a date, mother." Marcus said, knowing that this could dramatically escalate. His mother was still a blood purist after all, and she had her heart set on pureblood grandchildren.

"Oh, really, Marcus, how could you be seen out in public with a _mudblood?_ " Octavia spat, not giving Hermione a second look.

"Mother!" Marcus cried, aghast. "Don't call her that. Hermione is muggleborn, yes, but she is bloody smart, too. And I really like her." Marcus tried to catch Hermione's eyes, but he could see her shoulders tight in humiliation.

"I just don't see why you can't date someone _nice_ like Daphne Greengrass." Octavia groused. "Her sister has already given the Malfoys a pureblooded heir."

"Because that's not important to me, mother. Now, could you please leave? I was having a nice time with Hermione before you showed up." Marcus pleaded.

"It's alright, Marcus. I should really get going anyway." Hermione said, feeling embarrassment surge through her body. "Thank you for breakfast." And with a pop, she apparated back to her flat.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

A/N: You didn't think I was going to make this easy on them, did you? Here is chapter eight! I would love to hear what you think. Be on the lookout for chapter nine tomorrow.

* * *

 **January 22nd, 2002**

Marcus sent Hermione a lovely flower arrangement to apologize for his mother's words. He wrote her a letter to apologize for her rude behavior, and explained that he didn't want the same things that his mother wanted for him. He told her that although he knew he still had a lot to learn, he wanted to put the old prejudices that he'd been taught growing up to bed.

Hermione liked looking at the flowers as they sat on her desk at work. She was touched by how much of an effort Marcus was making for her. Not to mention that the flowers caused quite a stir at work. It was well known that Hermione Granger didn't have much of a love life to speak of, and no one had sent her flowers before. If anyone at her work knew who sent the flowers, they didn't say anything.

That was until Tuesday, when Hermione was horrified to see that she had made the front page of the gossip magazines. There were several pictures of her and Marcus walking around the farmer's market, holding hands and laughing together, and eating breakfast, making gooey eyes at one another across the table.

Hermione groaned. She didn't even know that there were paparazzi following them. She'd worked so hard to keep out of the limelight. At least, it appeared that the cause of the article was not her, but rather that Marcus had signed a new six year, twelve million galleon contract with Appleby. Still, she'd had to deal with the constant ribbing of her coworkers, who were surprised that she would date a Quidditch player.

Things had died down, until after lunch, when a pushy woman made her way into the reception area. She was causing quite a ruckus, and demanding to see Hermione Granger. When the receptionist wasn't helpful, she pushed past and stomped back to Hermione's desk, shoving a copy of the magazine in her face.

"Just where do you get off thinking that you can date my Marcus?" She demanded. She had shoulder length red hair and brilliant blue eyes. She was a bit older than Hermione, but still very beautiful. Hermione knew that she looked familiar, but couldn't quite place her.

"I am sorry, but you are...?" Hermione asked, trying not to be offensive.

"Don't act like you don't know!" She practically screeched, before seeing no recognition at all on Hermione's face. "Gemma Farley. I am Marcus's girlfriend." The woman announced with a roll of her eyes.

Hermione recognized her, then, from Hogwarts. She had been one of the Slytherin prefects in Marcus's year. Still, Hermione was instantly suspicious of her assertion that she was Marcus's girlfriend. Why would Marcus go on a date with her if he had a girlfriend? And, if he had a girlfriend, who was certainly more acceptable to her, then why wouldn't Marcus's mother not say anything about her?

Looking over the other woman, Hermione decided to voice her opinion. "If you are Marcus's girlfriend, why didn't his mother say anything about it when we saw her this weekend?"

Gemma looked shocked. "You _met_ Octavia?" She accused. "Impossible."

Hermione just shrugged. "She didn't mention you at all." She let a little bit of snottiness bleed into her voice at the idea.

"Don't get it in your head that you can keep him, mudblood." Gemma said. "He could never be interested in _you._ I will have Marcus back." Then, she turned on her heel and left the office, knocking a stack of papers off of Hermione's desk on the way out.

Hermione sighed, and used her wand to pick up the papers. That was certainly quite the threat, but Hermione knew that she could handle her own. Still, she thought maybe a visit to Marcus after work was in order.

* * *

After Hermione had finished her work for the day, she flooed over to Harry's office at the Appleby stadium. Her bespectacled friend was surprised to see her. "Everything alright Hermione?"

"I don't know yet, I was hoping to see Marcus?" Hermione told Harry. "I ran into someone claiming to be his girlfriend today. She was really upset about the latest cover of Witch Weekly."

"Yeah, I saw that." Harry said. "You looked really happy in all the pictures." Harry complimented her, placing his hand on her arm and giving it a squeeze. "Well, Marcus should be down in the locker room, if he hasn't left already."

Hermione nodded, before following Harry's directions to the locker room. When she arrived, she found that the locker room was empty, save Marcus. She felt her mouth go dry, as she'd surprised him, only wearing a pair of muggle jeans, his hair still wet from the shower. It had been years since she'd seen his broad shoulders and chest naked, muscles exquisitely toned through the years.

Marcus recovered from the shock of seeing her first. "Hermione? What are you doing here?"

Hermione swallowed thickly, and took the time to look at his face instead of his abs. "Oh, I just had an unexpected visitor today, Gemma Farley? She said she was your girlfriend." She told him, a blush on her cheeks.

Marcus swore under his breath. "Sorry about that, Hermione. I did date Gemma for about six months, but that was two years ago." He said with a frown, before rubbing his hand against his face. "She is probably just doing this because of the new contract that I signed."

Hermione smiled, knowing that there would be a reasonable explanation. "I saw that as well. We should celebrate, maybe after the game." She saw as he flinched. "My treat of course."

Marcus's shoulders instantly relaxed. "Of course. I am so used to girls only being after me for my money. But you wouldn't need mine, would you?" He asked with a sly grin. Hermione shook her head no. "So, you are still coming for the game then? It...it means a lot of me that you will be coming." He admitted.

Hermione smiled brightly at him. "Sure thing, Marcus. It will take more than an ex-girlfriend to scare me off." So far, dating Marcus had had it's ups and downs, but she thought that he was worth it.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

A/N: I never imagined that this would reach over 100 reviews, but it has! Thank you so much for all the support! Here is chapter nine - let me know what you think, and be on the lookout for chapter ten tomorrow.

Oh, and I will be posting sneak peaks to Back to the Future sequel this week on my tumblr, so check it out!

* * *

 **January 26th, 2002**

Harry had happily agreed to let Hermione take Teddy along to the Quidditch match, especially with the excellent box seats that Marcus had gotten for them. In truth, Harry told her, he wished Teddy could come to more Quidditch games, but with him being so little, he certainly couldn't sit down on the bench with Harry, and Andromeda wasn't up for the long games.

Harry brought the two Quidditch jerseys over to Hermione's flat along with Teddy on Saturday morning. He studiously watched her face as she looked at the light blue jersey with "FLINT" emblazoned in gray. She didn't say and thing, but the bright pink blush on her cheeks was enough to tell him that she didn't mind.

Teddy was excited to go to the game, so Hermione and he got there a little bit early. It was good, anyway, as Hermione wasn't entirely sure where the box was, so she wanted to make sure that they got there before the game officially started. When the found their seats, Hermione was surprised that everyone else there seemed to be specifically wives and girlfriends of the other players.

All of them were dressed up in fancy dresses in Appleby's colors, so Hermione already felt out of place wearing her shirt. Furthermore, she had no idea who they all belonged too. She just tried to focus on the pitch, pointing out some exciting sights to Teddy. She just hoped that she didn't mess anything up.

For his part, Teddy was having a fabulous time. Surprisingly heart touching to Hermione, he kept his hair brown and curly, to match her's, and his eyes were the same green that Remus's had always been, making Hermione wonder if that was his natural eye color. She gathered that he had dark hair when he was born, but usually his hair and eye color fluctuated with his emotions.

When the players came out onto the pitch, Hermione pointed out Marcus to Teddy. "Look, Teddy, there is Marcus. We want to cheer extra for him today." She whispered conspiratorially. "And look, down at the bench, there is Harry!"

Teddy was thrilled to see his godfather being so involved in the action, that he didn't even watch as the balls were released and play began to start. Soon, though, he was entranced, looking around for the snitch.

It was then that Hermione started to hear the whispers of the other women that she was sharing the booth with. It seemed that they did not take kindly to her presence there. "What an upjumped little tart she is, walking into _our_ booth like she owns the place." One had lamented.

"She isn't like the rest of us." Another one agreed. "Just look at that horrid hair!"

Hermione briefly thought about confronting them, but decided that she didn't want to make a scene and cause trouble for Marcus. It was true, though, she supposed that she didn't look like the other women there. It was clearly a look that Quidditch players liked, so then why was Marcus dealing with plain Jane Hermione Granger? She let the doubt fester in her mind, while listening to the awful things the other women said and wondered by Marcus even bothered with her, her cheeks burning with embarrassment the whole time. The only positive was that Teddy was completely oblivious.

Trying to remove the negative thoughts from her mind, Hermione focused on Marcus and was pleased to see him score several times. It seemed like he was fitting right into the team. When the game was over, Hermione brought Teddy down to the offices, where they met with Harry and waited for Marcus to come out of the locker room. As promised, they were going to somewhat of a posh dance club that evening to celebrate.

Marcus agreed to meet her at her flat in an hour so that she could go and change, despite his request that she leave his jersey on for their big night out. Hermione rolled her eyes at him, but was a little bit touched that he didn't mind in the slightest if she seemed like she was his.

After getting dressed up in a little black dress, Marcus arrived at her flat and the apparated to the club that was only a short bit away from Marcus's home. Hermione ordered them a bottle of champagne and they toasted to Marcus's new contract. "And, to your new grant as well." Marcus added, making Hermione's heart surge that he was keeping up with her work and wanted to celebrate her contributions as well.

After briefly discussing the game, and how pleased little Teddy was, Marcus excused himself to head over to the loo. Hermione sat at their little booth, enjoying the atmosphere. The music was for dancing, but it wasn't so loud that you couldn't enjoy quiet conversation. Everything here had an air of elegance.

After a few moments, though, Hermione thought that Marcus was gone for a rather long time. She let her eyes wander around the club to try and spot him. Really, it shouldn't be difficult, as he stood over six feet tall. Then she finally picked him out.

Hermione felt her breath leave her, as she noticed Marcus standing at the bar, laughing with a red haired woman - none other than Gemma Farley! She was dressed exquisitely, and Hermione felt a stab in her heart at the idea that Gemma would probably fit in quite well with the other WAGs that she sat with today.

Feeling humiliated, Hermione wanted to leave the club as quickly as possible. She felt hot tears sting in her eyes, but she quickly fished around in her purse and left more than enough galleons on the table to cover their drinks. She wouldn't want Marcus thinking that she was just after his money, she thought bitterly.

Keeping her head down, she walked over to the entrance of the club and out into the cold, fresh air of the night. How could she have been so stupid? Tightly gripping her wand in her hand, Hermione apparated back to her flat, just as she began crying in earnest.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

A/N: Wow - such varied responses to last chapter. I hope that Marcus redeems himself in your eyes. I promise that it will get better. Here is chapter ten - be on the lookout for chapter eleven tomorrow!

* * *

 **January 27th, 2002**

As if having your date leave you for another woman at the bar wasn't humiliating enough for Hermione, she woke up to some awful news. She'd been pulled from slumber by an owl tapping at her window, which was from Marcus. She hadn't read it yet, not wanting to put up with whatever excuse it was this time.

Hermione decided to head out to a nearby patisserie to get a croissant for breakfast. On the way back to her flat, she passed a newsstand and had been horrified to see her face gracing the cover of one of those awful tabloids. She bought one, trying not to make eye contact with the man selling them, and brought it home to read in the privacy of her own living room.

On the cover was a photo of her and Teddy at the Quidditch match.

 _Hermione Granger tries to pin love child on Marcus Flint._

 _Hermione Granger was spotted yesterday at an Appleby Arrows match, dragging along her love child, and seen wearing a Flint jersey. Granger has recently been seen in the company of Flint, though not much is known about the young boy that was with her. Was a secret pregnancy the cause of her reclusiveness from wizarding society for the past few years since the war was ended?_

 _Further, this reporter finds the timing of the outing highly suspicious. Flint has just signed a new contract for a substantial amount of money, which would be able to support Granger and her child for many years. A woman who sat nearby Granger at the game has told Witch's Weekly that Granger was entirely focused on Flint, even encouraging the child to cheer for him and only him. Is Granger hoping to guilt Flint into raising the child as his own?_

 _Witch's Weekly spoke to one of Granger's former friends, who suggests that this is a common pattern of behavior for Granger. "Hermione has always been obsessed with Quidditch players. She dated Viktor Krum when she was only fourteen, and she only went after my brother once he made Keeper for Gryffindor house." Miss Ginerva Weasley commented. "I guess I am not surprised that she would go after another one."_

 _However, it seems that Granger's plans might not be working as well as she thought. When Flint and Granger were out celebrating last night, Flint was spotted in the arms of his ex-girlfriend, Gemma Farley. Granger was seen leaving the club, in tears. We will keep you updated on this developing story._

Hermione felt a surge of embarrassment at the article. Of course, Teddy matching her hair hadn't helped matters at all. This is why she didn't go out into public that often, and this was especially why she didn't date. She hated seeing her business splashed about in public.

Just as she was about to take a bite of her croissant, she heard her floo going off in the other room. Harry walked purposefully into the kitchen, only to frown, seeing her reading the magazine. "Shite, I hoped you hadn't seen that yet." He told her.

Hermione just gave him a sad smile. "It's no use anyways. Everyone will be talking about it at work on Monday." She let her head hang down, unwilling to meet Harry's eyes. "I am so humiliated."

Harry sat down in the chair across from her. "Hey, now. Everyone who matters knows that this is just absolute rubbish. I mean, honestly? A love child? Anyone with eyes knows that that is Teddy."

Hermione sniffed. "I understand if you don't want me to be seen with Teddy in the future. What an awful thing to do to Remus and Tonks." She felt horrid that their memory had been erased by her being seen with Teddy. She wanted him to grow up with wonderful memories of the parents that he would never know.

"Hey! Teddy loves his Aunt Hermione and I certainly don't mind. I am sure that Andromeda won't mind either." Harry patted Hermione on the hand. "I am really sorry about what Ginny said too. I can't believe that I dated her sometimes." Harry said, with a roll of his eyes. He quickly learned that Ginny was just in love with the idea of dating the chosen one.

"Oh, Harry, you don't have to apologize for the words of others. I know that she doesn't speak for you." Hermione tried to assuage some of Harry's guilt. "Spreading horrible rumors about me seems par for the course with the Weasleys at this point." Hermione never forgot how Mrs. Weasley had treated Hermione poorly during the Triwizards' Tournament.

"And...and Marcus, is what they wrote about him true?" Harry asked tentatively, not wanting to cause his friend unnecessary pain.

Hermione frowned solemnly, before nodding. "It's true. He left to go to the loo, and it seemed like he was taking forever...that's when I saw him with Farley. He told me that she was his ex, but...I don't know what to think." She admitted. Her brain was full of emotions. "He sent me a note this morning, but I haven't been able to read it yet."

"How come?" Harry asked her. Hermione always seemed to want to know everything, so an explanation would certainly be something she'd want, right?

She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I just don't want anymore excuses. Look, I obviously like Marcus a lot more than he likes me. And, now I just wonder if maybe he is more trouble than he is worth." Hermione did have so much fun with Marcus, but it was sporadic, and peppered by things that hurt and embarrassed her.

"I suppose...that makes sense." Harry told her, even though he didn't really understand her rationale. Just the other day, he'd seen Hermione happier than he had in a long time, years even. He wasn't sure she should give that up so quickly, but he wanted to support her. "Should we burn the letter?"

Hermione giggled at her friend. "You and your dramatics Harry!" She faux-scolded him. "No, I don't think I am quite ready to do that yet. Not knowing the specifics might get to me." She admitted.

"Well then, would you like to go to visit Hannah and Neville at the Leaky and get pissed instead?" Harry offered. It had been a while since they'd seen their friends, and it would be good to get Hermione's mind off of things for a while.

"That, Mr. Potter, sounds like an excellent idea."


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

A/N: Finally, here is Marcus's side of the story. Let me know what you think of chapter eleven! Twelve will be up tomorrow - only three more to go! Also, check out my tumblr for a sneak peak of the sequel to Back to the Future later today.

* * *

 **January 27th, 2002**

Marcus spent his Sunday wallowing in self pity of how he'd fucked things up with Hermione so royally. Grateful to have the day off of Quidditch practice - he especially didn't want to face Potter so soon - he broke into his firewhiskey stash much earlier than he'd care to admit, letting the burn of the liquid burn away his guilt. He waited steadfastly for Hermione to respond to his owl.

By the time two p.m. rolled around, he had to face the facts, that Hermione probably wasn't going to respond.

He couldn't believe that he'd been so stupid to talk to Gemma, especially when Hermione told him that she'd been visited by the persistent witch. But, she'd caught him off guard when he was walking by the bar, and he couldn't help but laugh at her desperate attempts to seduce him. When he looked over at their table, he'd seen Hermione swirling away, clearly hurt. By the time he'd gotten outside, she was already gone.

It wasn't until late afternoon that his floo finally flared up, and Adrian Pucey walked out, subtly wiping his shoulders free of soot. He was carrying a copy of Witch's Weekly rolled up under his arm, which Marcus thought was unusual. "Wow, you and Granger really go from zero to sixty then." His dark haired friend told him,

"What are you talking about?" Marcus groused from his spot on the couch.

Adrian tossed him the magazine, and Marcus instantly felt his heart speed up reading over the cover. "So, Granger has a love child? Do tell. Do you know who the father is? It's not Potter is it?" Adrian asked, looking at the picture again for any trace of the messy haired wizard in the child's features.

Marcus swallowed thickly. "Of course she doesn't have a love child. That's Teddy Lupin, Potter's godson, I guess. Hermione watches him sometimes and I invited her to bring him to the game yesterday." He quickly opened the magazine to read the story fully. Everything he read just made his heart plummet further. "Shite, she doesn't deserve this."

"Yeah, and what's up with this Weasley bint? I thought they were friends." Adrian asked, thinking that Marcus might be able to shed a little information on them.

"No, I think as soon as Harry Potter didn't want to marry her, that was when they had a falling out." Marcus told his friend. "Of course, Potter is important to Hermione."

"And...what's this about you and Gemma? Please tell me you aren't getting back together with her." Adrian pleaded, remembering all of the awful things that their former classmate did when she was dating Marcus.

"Fuck no! See this picture?" He held up the magazine so that Adrian could see it too. "This is me laughing off her pathetic attempt at seduction. It looks pretty damning though. And Hermione saw it...she really did leave last night in tears. I feel awful." He admitted.

"That's harsh, mate." Adrian admitted. He didn't really know Hermione very well, but even he could agree that she didn't deserve this. "So what are you going to do?"

"I have no idea, mate." Marcus admitted, finishing the last of his firewhiskey. "I sent her an owl this morning, but she hasn't responded. She has already gone through so much for me...I don't see why she would be able to forgive me." It made Marcus nervous. When he was with Hermione, he felt more complete than he did with anyone else.

"Listen, you really like her, yeah?" Adrian asked, waiting for Marcus's grunt of agreement. "Well, an apology on paper isn't going to cut it with a witch like Granger." He tried to explain to his friend. "Gryffindors are so emotional. They need to see the apology on your face, you know, make sure that you are true."

Marcus understood what his friend meant, so after a few more minutes of conversation with his friend, Marcus located a sober up potion so that he could go and speak to Hermione. Looking at his appearance to make sure that he was presentable, he apparated to the hallway outside of Hermione's flat. Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door.

He must have waited there for at least five minutes, knocking three separate times, but she never answered. Marcus felt his confidence leave him, hoping that she was just out and not that she was avoiding him to this degree. Sighing, he left her flat to return home.

* * *

 **January 28th, 2002**

With his poor focus at practice on Monday, Marcus was sent home early, as even their head coach had read the article and seemed to understand that their big chaser needed some time to figure things out. During his shower, he came up with a brilliant plan.

He knew that Hermione would be at work right now, and he knew where she worked, so he could go visit her there. Giving him a new purpose, he quickly got into his regular clothes and apparated to the general area of Hermione's office.

When he got there, he walked right past the receptionist, who didn't make any attempt to stop him, instead she sighed and made some kind of noise about how romantic Hermione's life was. To say that Hermione was surprised to see him was an understatement. She looked up at him shocked, before hissing at him. "What on Earth are you doing here?"

"I know that you probably don't want to see me, but I couldn't leave things as they were." Marcus told her, trying to show his emotion on his face, which was quite the challenge, as purebloods were taught to always keep a stoic mask. "I want to apologize to you. I never should have talked to Gemma, especially after you told me that she visited you. But I promise that is was not with any romantic intentions. I was just telling her that there would never ben anything between her and I, regardless of the turns our relationship takes. I am very very sorry, Hermione."

Hermione felt her breath leave her body. It seemed that Marcus was at the very least, being honest. She was having trouble deciding if she was ready to forgive him. Then, she remembered that he was as much of a victim of the tabloids as she was, and she shouldn't be so quick to believe them. "Apology accepted."

"I know I don't deserve it, Hermione, but will you please give me one more chance?" Marcus questioned, fingers crossed that she would give him a shot.

Hermione bit her lip. Was Marcus worth all the trouble?


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

A/N: Aw, he get's one more shot! Here is chapter twelve, please let me know what you think! Chapter thirteen out tomorrow.

* * *

Hermione didn't know if it was against her better judgement, but she did agree to go on one more date with Marcus. There was something about the look in his dark eyes that made her still want more, despite everything she'd been through so far. Plus, she still had questions that she wanted answered and she figured this was the best way to get that done.

He wasn't telling her where it was that he was taking her, but just that she could dress more casually than last time, and to be ready to leave at six thirty. She settled on wearing some jeans and a nice blue and white striped blouse. She hoped that it was appropriate for wherever they were going on their mystery date.

Harry had given her his blessing, although he didn't claim to understand why she was giving Marcus one more chance. They seemed to be so different, he couldn't imagine what it was that they talked about on their dates. But, still, at his most basic, Harry knew that Marcus had tempered over the years and was at the very least a decent guy. And, he just wanted Hermione to be happy.

Marcus arrived early, to Hermione's delight, bringing her some pink roses, that weren't squashed this time. They looked beautiful on the little table in her kitchen, and she told him so, causing a little blush to form on his cheeks.

Marcus took her by the hand and apparated them to a big square, and Hermione was pleasantly surprised to find herself in front of London's Wizarding Library. It was a massive building in stone, and Hermione had only been there once or twice before, despite her love of reading. "Shall we go in?" He asked, pulling her towards the huge double doors.

Hermione was suddenly sure that she had absolutely made the right decision to go on one more date with Marcus. On previous dates, she thought that he was just taking her to generic places, and though she enjoyed them, they weren't really reflective of her personality. This made her feel like he really got her.

She was surprised when he walked them over to the potions area. "Wow, you sure seem to know your way around here." She told him, with a surprised smile. "Do you spend a lot of time here?"

Marcus blushed again. "I, uh, I guess I have a little something to admit to you." He told her, with a sheepish smile. "I did keep up with all of your journal articles, after...well, there was a lot of stuff you wrote about that I didn't understand, so every now and again, I come here to do some remedial reading."

Hermione was really touched. He had proved to her again and again that he really did care about her work. "Wow, that's so flattering Marcus. I didn't know that...you'd go to all that effort for me."

"I still don't understand _a lot_ of it. You are bloody smart. And I couldn't find anything about the muggle genetics that you've written about recently." He said with a grin. He knew that he wasn't the smartest guy, but he did want to understand what Hermione was doing.

"I'll send you a book, a primer if you like." Hermione told him, pleased. "They don't teach anything like it here in the wizarding world." The pair of them spent at least an hour, going through the library. Hermione had such an excellent time, she was sure to tell Marcus.

Afterwards, they walked a few blocks off the little square where the library was located, and stopped at a little Italian bistro. Hermione was rather hungry, so they quickly ordered wine and pasta dishes. Hermione bit her lip, as her mind couldn't stop from coming back to one thing. If Marcus kept tabs on her, why didn't he just...reach out to her?

"What's on your mind?" He asked, seeing her demeanor change slowly after they sat down for dinner.

"I was just wondering...why you...if you kept tabs on me, read my articles, why didn't you ever reach out before? After...that night?" She asked, nervous to put her thoughts into words.

"I didn't understand why you'd left, initially. I wanted to give you some space, as you'd obviously...well I didn't want to push you into anything and thought perhaps I'd come on too strong." Marcus admitted. "I figured that when you were ready, you would come to me. Why did...why did you leave, without saying goodbye?"

Hermione bit her lip, and Marcus was entranced by the white teeth he saw peeking out. "I...well, I'd just lost my virginity to a guy that I liked, but I didn't really know that well. I figured you were kind of a player, quidditch girls like the one in the box throwing themselves at you constantly. They are so much more beautiful than me, so why would you ever want...something more with me? I couldn't bare to hear you tell me that, the next morning." Hermione admitted, feeling a bit guilty.

Marcus began laughing. Hermione looked annoyed. "What?"

"It's just that we were both making so many assumptions about one another." Marcus said with a wide smile. "If one of us had just been honest with the other, we could have maybe, seen where this would go years ago."

"Yeah, I suppose you are right." Hermione told him with a small smile. If only she hadn't been so stubborn.

The pair of them finished dinner and Marcus and Hermione decided to walk back to Hermione's flat, hand in hand. When they reached her door, Marcus didn't try to come in. "Can I take you out on Thursday?" He asked.

"Thursday...but, Marcus, that's Valentine's Day!" She asked. He smirked at her and shrugged his shoulders. "Yes...I'd love to go out with you on Thursday." She finally answered.

"Great, I will owl you the details." He responded, before letting his hand tangle into her hair, pulling her body close to his, so that they were pressed against each other. He pressed his lips to hers, and moaned at the prolonged contact. Getting control of himself, he pulled away. "Thursday." He whispered, leaving Hermione on her doorstep, feeling like she was on cloud nine.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

A/N: You all seem glad that Hermione gave Marcus a chance. Here is their Valentine's date. Do any of you have good plans for Valentine's day? Let me know what you think of chapter thirteen and be on the lookout for chapter fourteen (the last one!) tomorrow!

* * *

 **February 14th, 2002**

Hermione had looked forward to her date with Marcus all week. She picked out a gorgeous red dress for the occasion and took the time to get all dolled up. After the talk after their last date, she had been buzzing over the possibilities. She now knew that Marcus was absolutely worth the issues that dating someone with a high profile would cause. If they could just endeavor not to keep things from each other, she knew things could work out.

She had been surprised by some roses - red this time - on her desk at work, and Hermione felt a bit girly, but she was just so pleased to be romanced by someone like Marcus.

When he finally showed up, he apparated her to a little Thai restaurant not far from her apartment. She was pleased, as it wasn't the stereotypical night out that she imagined most girls would want to go on. "Did you get the book I sent over?" She asked him once they were finally seated.

"Yeah, I have read about the first chapter." Marcus told her. It was a great book, so far, he thought, and it was at a great level for his comprehensive level. "I had no idea that muggles knew so much. How did they figure everything out?"

Hermione smiled at him. "Well, they had centuries really, to figure things out without magic for an explanation. There are curious muggles, just like there are curious witches and wizards." They chatted a bit more about her work, before discussing Marcus's February. He'd been called up to the England squad and would be playing on a three week international break. They were going to be playing countries all over Europe, starting out in Ukraine, then over to Croatia, followed by a last stop against Germany.

"Wow, I can only imagine how tough that will be, but how exciting to see all of those countries." She told him with a smile. She'd done a lot of traveling with her family when she was younger, but she hadn't gone much since the war ended.

"Well, if you wanted, the Croatia game is on a weekend, and we will have a day or two free...if you wanted to come with. I would love to go...exploring with you." He told her, looking down at his noodles.

Hermione bit her lip, excitement at the prospect of taking a trip with Marcus. "That would be really nice, actually. I have tons of vacation stored up." She told him, mentally adding things to her checklist - get a travel guide and a Croatian language book, for starters.

When their dinner was cleared, Marcus grabbed Hermione's hand over the table, causing her heart to skip a beat. "Listen...I have really enjoyed going on these dates with you, spending time with you...and I think we have an obvious, um...chemistry." Marcus told her, looking into her liquid brown eyes, rather proud of his muggle science reference. "I was wondering, if you wanted to be exclusive with me? You know, would you be my girlfriend?"

Hermione was so pleased to hear his words. "I would love to, Marcus." She told him, grabbing his hand across the table, squeezing it tightly. "Listen, how would you like to go back to mine? I have a bit of champagne chilling."

Marcus agreed and paid the bill and one short apparition later, they were standing in Hermione's living room. Seeing her in the dim light, especially after she agreed to be his, had him aching for her. Champagne forgotten, he dipped his head down so that he might kiss her, his tongue invading her mouth and curling against her own.

Hermione clung to him, enjoying the feel of his bunching muscles beneath her fingertips, and his hardened cock against her belly. Pulling him gently, she guided him to her bedroom, which she had tidied up that day, should something like this happen.

She pushed him to the bed, before happily crawling, her body straddling his waist, her core pressed against his hardness. Unconsciously, she began to rock back and forth against him, wanting some further friction.

Marcus reached behind her, unzipping her dress, freeing her from it, and Hermione found herself working on the little buttons that held his shirt together. Soon, they were completely divested of clothing, and Hermione couldn't help mewling at the feeling of his naked body pressed up against hers.

He rolled on top of her, taking his time to caress every inch of her, even making her giggle when his hands ran over her feet, which were particularly ticklish. Her laughs were silenced when one of his long fingers ran through her seam, collecting the moisture that had formed, and dipped slowly into her, hissing at the silky feel of her.

Marcus climbed up over her body and grasping his cock, slowly entered her, watching her face light up with tenderness as they began the gentle, rocking motion that joined the two of them together. Soon, the gentleness was not enough for either of them, and he began to thrust harder, more insistently faster, determined to bring Hermione over the edge with him.

Her jerky hip movements were enough to tell him she was close, so he slipped a hand between them to rub the hard little ball of nerves at the top of her sex, leaving her keening in pleasure, her walls clenching at him rhythmically. With just a handful more thrusts, he found he was unable to stop himself from coming, the tightness of her sex was too overwhelming for him.

Settling down next to her, Marcus pulled Hermione close to him, so that he could spoon her. Hermione found that she rather liked the feel of his sparse chest hair on her back, his semi-hard cock against the curve of her arse, and his breath tickling the skin of her neck. He kept one arm around her waist, pulling her tight against him. "Marcus?"

"Hmm?" He asked her, sleepily.

"Promise you won't slip out in the morning, without saying goodbye?" She asked him quietly.

She could practically feel him smiling into her hair. "Why do you think I am holding onto you so tightly, witch? I am not letting you go anywhere."


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

A/N: Thank you all so much for reading! This story had a much bigger response than I could have imagined! Thanks for all of the reviews favorites and follows. Check out my profile for more of my work. Also, Back the the Future Sequel will be coming out on Tuesday!

Please let me know what you thought about chapter fourteen! Thanks and have a great Valentine's Day!

* * *

Hermione and Marcus's relationship, once established was a rather solid thing. Sure, girls still showed up every now and again to try and sway his affections, but it quickly became known that he only had eyes for Hermione. Even the gossip magazines - who initially ran loads of stories about the new couple - stopped printing stories, when they found that the pair was rather boring, and had barely any drama.

Sure, they had their ups and downs, but it seemed that the pair was meant for one another. Marcus and Harry eventually came around and became tentative friends, and he even took quite the shine to Teddy, helping Harry to teach him how to fly. Hermione, also, slowly found herself integrating with Marcus's friend group, including a flirty Adrian Pucey, and even some of the nicer Slytherin girls, like Addy Murton and Viola Richmond.

Marcus's mother would never accept Hermione, even going so far as to threaten to disinherit him. Hermione was concerned, not wanting to come in between Marcus and his family, when he told her he didn't care what his mother did. He had enough money of his own, living frugally and pulling in huge paychecks thanks to Quidditch, plus she was obsessed with getting a pureblood heir, not concerned at all with Marcus's happiness. Luckily, his father, Oskar, eventually put an end to it, and gave Marcus his blessing.

Happy with the way things were progressing, Marcus asked Hermione to marry him a year and a half after they started dating, in Spain, after and international Quidditch game. He flew right up to the box after their win, and got down on one knee in front of everyone and presented her with a beautiful diamond ring. Hermione had said emphatically yes.

The tabloids had a field day with their short engagement, speculating that Hermione had purposefully gotten herself pregnant so as to trap Marcus, and get all of his money, and that Harry was the real father. She just rolled her eyes, thinking about the time that they had thought that Teddy Lupin was her love child. It seemed like they could print just about anything these days.

They got married that New Years, knowing that it was the five year anniversary from the first time that they were together. It was a small party, very exclusive, but they were happy to be surrounded by good friends and family. Everything was done up in gold and white, and the champagne flowed freely. Harry had walked Hermione down the aisle, knowing that the closest thing he would ever have to a sister was happy.

Harry found his own luck at their wedding, and was introduced to one Daphne Greengrass, a gorgeous girl with golden blonde hair and bright green eyes. She was rather sweet, once you got to know her better, and it hadn't taken Harry much convincing to ask her out on a date.

Hermione continued with her work, bringing a lot of new advances to the health community, and as her trial success rates began to come in, many in the wizarding world were forced to accept that some of the muggle genetics methods did in fact work. There was a surge in fertility, and a decrease in the rate of squib births.

The only time that Hermione took off of work was for the birth of her children. They had their first, a boy, about a year after their wedding. He was called Graeme, after Hermione's grandfather, although Graham Montague liked to joke that it was because he'd been the first person to suggest that Hermione was pregnant - before Hermione even considered it herself!

Graeme was a sweet child, but already showing signs of being a large boy. Hermione could just imagine him being the same size as his father, someday. Except, of course, for his brown curly hair that was given to him by Hermione.

Their daughter, was born a little over year after Graeme, and called Isla, after Marcus's grandmother. She was a tiny little thing when she was born, but boy, did she had a set of lungs on her. She had Marcus's coloring, but light brown eyes. Hermione could just imagine all the trouble that she was going to cause Marcus someday.

He'd already blown a gasket when Scorpius Malfoy had pushed her over when she was two years old. Isla was a flower girl and Scorpius was the ring bearer in Daphne and Harry's wedding. Hermione had liked to tease Harry about being related to Draco Malfoy, but after seeing the way the little blond boy teased Isla, Harry liked to tell her that she should be considering the possibility that she and Malfoy might share grandchildren someday.

Marcus had not been too happy to hear that, so he walked over to Malfoy and insisted that he keep his sons grubby little paws off of his daughter. Hermione thought it was rather sweet, and tried to remind Marcus that Scorpius was only four years old, and that, he certainly wasn't thinking any untoward thoughts towards their girl.

Whatever happened, Hermione was just so glad that she and Marcus had worked so hard to come together. What they had was truly special, even though they weren't the most obvious pair, and it would have been easy to give up on one another in the beginning when it seemed like everything was going to shit. She was so glad that Marcus didn't give up on her.

He was definitely worth all of the trouble.


End file.
